Your tenants may unknowingly be ruining your rental homes’ kitchen. A kitchen has many different parts to it, from the floors and countertops to the appliances and cabinets. Each one of these elements should be used and kept properly, or there may be accidental damage done to them.
Through misunderstanding or neglect, unintentional damage to the kitchen can cost investment property owners a lot to have it repaired. However, recognizing how this damage occurs, you can equip your tenants with the knowledge of proper kitchen maintenance. This would allow them to help keep your Branchburg rental homes in the best shape it could be.
One of the biggest reasons why a tenant decides on a rental home is an attractive kitchen. But a kitchen can also experience a lot of unnecessary damage if it is not being properly maintained. Tenants probably don’t know how to take care of a kitchen’s floor, countertops, or cabinets, unintentionally damaging these features in the process.
Keep in mind that wood or laminate floors can be scratched or gouged by heavy furniture, heavy foot traffic, and even pets. Tile floors normally outlast other kinds of floors, but grout can stain or become damaged by strong cleaners or even magic erasers or scrubbers and dropping heavy objects can crack or break tiles. Over time these kinds of overuse may look inconsequential but it will result in a kitchen floor that must be torn out and replaced years before its expected life is over.
Countertops are another hard surface in the kitchen that can be accidentally damaged by a tenant– even a tenant who is very careful. Countertops can be permanently stained or discolored by setting hot dishes and pans directly on the counter surface, as well as scored by knives from cutting food without a cutting board. It may never even occur to a tenant that a hard stone like granite can be damaged by heat, sharp objects, and harsh cleaners. But it can be damaged and it would result in expensive repairs.
Cabinets are another kitchen element that is often accidentally damaged by tenants. The most frequent kind of damage to cabinets happens when a tenant cleans them improperly. Many household cleaners will take the finish off wood cabinets, as will products like magic eraser sponges. Cabinets that have been stripped of their protective finish are more inclined to be further damaged by heat, steam, and grime build-up, which will be tougher to remove at each cleaning.
Though damage to these parts can be expensive to repair, few things bring about more problems than appliances that are not maintained properly. Refrigerators, dishwashers, and ranges need regular maintenance and proper use to keep functioning properly for many years. For example, the useful life of a dishwasher can be severely shortened if a tenant doesn’t know how to load it properly or uses too much soap. Dishwashers also must be cleaned several times a year by running an empty cycle with a dishwasher cleaner or a cup of vinegar, or risk clogged drains or blocked sprayers.
Applying the wrong cleaning products on an appliance is also a common reason for unintentional damage. Ovens, stovetops, and refrigerators can all be scratched or damaged by harsh chemicals or cleaning brushes, resulting in them functioning terribly and looking unappealing. Cleaning is an integral part of good appliance maintenance, but it must be executed properly or else the appliance may conk out and need to be replaced.
Proper kitchen maintenance is an important subject to educate your tenants in. It’s vital knowledge to have when managing a quality rental home, but it can be difficult to teach this to your tenants without damaging the landlord-tenant relationship. This is the area where the skilled specialists at Real Property Management NJ Elite can come to your aid.
We can lend you a helping hand by disseminating vital information to your tenants while being able to encourage good relations. We can even make certain that your tenants are doing their annual maintenance responsibilities in the kitchen, executing the daily upkeep of your Branchburg rental home an effortless and manageable process. To know more about what we can do for you, please contact us online or give us a ring at 908-955-7487.
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